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2008-07-22 issue:

Little change expected in Zimbabwe

by Mennonite World Conference

Print Article

TORONTO, Ontario—“It is God’s grace that sustains us,” said Bishop Danisa Ndlovu from his hotel room the morning after Zimbabwe’s June 27 election. From Bulawayo, Ndlovu who is vice-president and president-elect of Mennonite World Conference, was in Toronto to speak at the Brethren in Christ (BIC) General Conference (North America).

Two days after the election, discredited by much of the world, Robert Mugabe was sworn in as president of Zimbabwe in time for him to attend the African Union summit in Egypt as the nation’s newly elected head of state. His election was announced within hours of the polls closing in contrast to the March 29 election when citizens waited for more than a month for vote results. Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, had withdrawn from the ballot, condemning the run-off election as a farce.

The March election was called free but not fair; the run-off election in June was said to be neither, with beatings and harassment happening within sight of African and international observers, noted Ndlovu. Rural areas were particularly vulnerable. He did not know if BIC people were among victims. He knew that his own family in Bulawayo was fine, although he was unable to communicate directly the morning after the election since phones were not working.

While Ndlovu hopes the aggression and harassment of opposition party supporters will go down, he does not expect much change in the country without regional and international pressure on the president.—Mennonite World Conference